Published: 00:01, 16 August 2026

The death of a cyclist on Thorley Street on Wednesday, August 5 is a tragedy, and the thoughts of everyone at Cycle Stortford are with his family, his friends and the regulars at the Coach and Horses who knew him.

With a police investigation under way, it is not for us to speculate on what happened. However, it is right to ask what kind of roads we are asking people to cycle and walk on.

As sad as this is, it underlines exactly why the work of our group matters: to press for safe cycling and walking routes away from busy main roads, where the danger has been so tragically shown.

Police and paramedics at the scene of the collision near the Coach and Horses at Thorley Street on August 5

The B1383 to Sawbridgeworth is busy, with drivers routinely breaking the speed limit, and offers those on foot or on a bike next to nothing in the way of protection.

Across Bishop’s Stortford the story is much the same: people who want to get to the shops, the station, work or the pub are forced to share space with heavy, fast-moving traffic or not go at all. That is not a real choice, and it is not safe.

This is not an abstract worry. Hertfordshire has been reported as having among the highest numbers of cyclist deaths of any county in the South East. Behind that statistic are people – killed or seriously injured on roads that were never made safe for them.

Flowers and a cricket shirt and hat laid in tribute to Tim Potter, a member of Farnham Cricket Club, who died at the scene

Safe routes are not a luxury or a nuisance to drivers. They save lives, they ease congestion and they let children, older residents and everyone in between get about under their own steam.

Being serious about this means two concrete things.

First, building the network of safe, direct, segregated routes that Cycle Stortford has proposed, e.g. the North and South routes, so people can travel between our neighbourhoods, schools and stations without taking their lives in their hands.

Second, funding it properly: at least 10% of the transport budget spent on walking and cycling – as Cycling UK, Walk Wheel Cyle Trust, British Cycling and others have long urged – rather than the 2% or so that England manages now.

The fatal collision happened at this pedestrian island on a narrow part of the B1383 Thorley Street

We therefore urge Hertfordshire County Council and East Herts Council to adopt those routes and to commit that level of sustained investment.

That is what it looks like to be serious about people not being killed and injured on Hertfordshire’s streets. Another death on these roads is one too many.

Rest in peace to the gentleman who lost his life.

Simon Thorpe, Cycle Stortford

WHAT’S HAPPENED TO MANUDEN’S MARKET DAY BUS TO STORTFORD?

A well-used and much-loved bus service that brought a full complement of dependent elderly residents from Manuden to Bishop’s Stortford has been unexpectedly cancelled.

The DART 2 service that ran on market day mornings was always fully used as Manuden has no shops. The residents know of no plan to reinstate the service.

Coincidentally, this happened on the same week that Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged support for the frail elderly and their bus services.

Mr Burnham also seemed to appreciate the part played by local newspapers in supporting democracy.

John Conder, elderly Manuden resident and one-time bus user

---

---